Trippa alla Romana is one of the many true offal dishes you’ll find in Rome, especially in the Testaccio district. The Romans boil the tripe with aromatics, then braise it with tomatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and mint—and sometimes cloves or thyme.
It’s brought to the table with some pecorino romano and it makes a fine dish, especially for folks who’d really like to suck up the great tomato sauces of Italy. The tripe is like a sponge that sops up the sauce. Try it, even if you cannot stomach the thought of it.
Tripe is the third stomach chamber of the cow. The fourth, the one Italians call lamprodotto, is smooth and the Florentines make it into sandwiches with a tangy green sauce. Try it in a stand on the street in the historic center of Florence.